Frostblade
by MMiladinova
Summary: She slashed at her enemy. Her sword elongated, the enchated ice harder and sharper than any steel. She saw her ghoul sneaking up, waiting for a perfect moment to strike, to bite, to claw, to kill. She sent a curse at her opponent, the smell of decay filling the air even more. She didn't know (want to know, WANT TO KNOW) who the holy warrior was, she just followed the voice.
1. Chapter 1

**Frostblade**

 **Chapter 1**

She swung her sword at her opponent, proceeded to block, then swung again. A repetitive dance from her perspective, but it was one she enjoyed. She was closely matched with her foe, even though her sister was a few years older. They clashed in the middle of the field, then separated again. Rayne wiped her brow. There were no clouds, and the summer sun shone bright and hot on them. Her muscles ached, her head throbbed and she felt like her legs would give out underneath her, but she showed none of it.

"Tired already?" Her sister, Lyan, asked.

Rayne's only response was to leap back into action, sword at the ready. The other girl laughed and blocked. They continued their little "dance", paying no heed to anything except each other. Another swing, another block, until finally Lyan struck Rayne in the arm after the latter missed a heavy swing. They both took a few steps back, panting. Lyan then proceeded to ram into Rayne, sending her to the ground and then pointing the sword at her.

"It seems I win this round, little sister," Lyan smiled, then proceeded to offer a hand.

"You have never done this before, how could I expect it? It wasn't fair!" Rayne complained, but still took the other girl's hand.

"I think we should get home. We're in enough trouble already with these dirty clothes and especially that nick on your nose. You know she hates it when we fight. We were supposed to just go out on a walk with Keith and An..."

"But they are boring! All they ever do is gossip! And it doesn't hurt as much as it did in the beginning. Look, the blood's even stopped."

"Still, we promised... You know she won't be happy."

"Shouldn't she have gotten used to this by now? "

Lyan sighed. She knew she'd have to deal with their angry mother. Anna really had given up on most of her attempts to stop them, but she was still as disapproving as ever. She was a priest, but she rarely if ever used her skills. She was a fair mother, and her dream for her children was to raise two normal ladies. Sadly for her, they both took up their father's example. He was a warrior, one with great skill. Having grown up to his stories of adventurers, heroic deeds and epic battles, both of them grew to be strong minded, direct and absolutely unfitting for a normal, peaceful way of life. They both decided they wanted to become adventurers, Paladins of the Holy Light like the ones in the stories, to get to battle monsters and be praised as heroes. When he died in the Second War, their resolve to continue his legacy strenghtened even more. Anna still tried to make them a bit more ladylike, but each and every one of her attempts had failed. She finally accepted the fact that all she could do was watch from the side and support them when they needed it. This, however, didn't mean she approved one bit of it.

The two girls slowly made their way home, carrying their wooden swords with them. Both were exhausted, but neither would show it. They looked so different, and yet were so alike.

Rayne was fourteen and medium tall for her age. She had dark brown, almost black, shoulder lenght hair, grey eyes and a newly acquired cut on the bridge of her nose. Most people mistook her for a boy, and she took no little advantage of it. Lyan on the other hand was seventeen, tall, with light brown hair, green eyes and slender. People admired her beauty, though it left the wrong impression in them. She was every bit as wild as her sister, and most of the time the two of them would get in trouble together. They were the odd ones out of their little town. While everyone else was content about going on with their peaceful lives, the two of them came along and flipped everything upside down. They were avoided, but they didn't care.

They lived in the outskirts of Andorhal. Their way went through the whole town, but it wasn't that long. They had just about enough time to clean themselves up as best as they could to escape at least some of the scolding from their mother, though both of them knew it was not going to have much of an effect on her. They tried getting the dirt out of their clothes and even tried washing them in a nearby stream, but it would not do much good. Keith and An had probably already told Anna what her daughters had been doing the whole afternoon they were supposed to spend with them.

When they got home, Anna was already preparing dinner.

"So, you two have a good afternoon? I hope you can at least clean the dirt off your clothes"

"Yes Mama, we did." They chorused.

"You were supposed to spend the afternoon with Keith and An. You rarely even talk to them!"

"But-" Rayne started, only to have Lyan interrupt her.

"We know Mama. We are sorry."

"They came here to complain that you just left them out. You started talking about battles and adventures. Evetually you just ignored all their tries to talk with you two and started fighting with sticks!"

"It's not our fault the only thing they can do is gossip! Why should we be the ones to-" Rayne started again, only to have Lyan's hand clamp on her mouth.

"We are sorry Mama. We just got distracted." Her hand freed Rayne's mouth.

"As if you can call strange stares and giggling attempts to talk..." the smaller girl ranted on.

"Rayne!" both of them stared hard at her.

"Sorry..."

Their mother turned around. Her face was stern.

"You two should at least attempt to be socially acceptable to some degree! I have given up hope on you two growing to be proper ladies, but please... Just... Give me that."

Rayne looked down. She felt bad, yet justified. It wasn't her fault people were too simple. Why couldn't she and her sister just go on and do as they wanted to. They wronged no one. She hid her face behind her hair, so at least her cut wouldn't worry Anna even more. It wold probably scar with no healing, but she rather liked scars. Her body was still sore from all the fighting. Her hands, her feet, everything felt heavy. She just wanted to go to sleep, but she was hungry. She wondered if she could miss dinner. Her mother and Lyan were still talking as she zoned out.

Lyan barely managed to catch her falling sister, the latter having fallen asleep on the spot.

"You two really seem tired. Lyan, are you hungry or are you going to go to sleep as soon as your sister?" her mother chuckled.

"I... I think we better go to sleep... I'm tired too. It's been a long day."

"Very well. Tomorrow you'll be helping me out with some chores, and this time no sneaking out!"

"Yes, Mama."

Lyan carried her sister to their room. It was a small room in a small house. Nothing too grand, seeing as they couldn't afford it. The room was simple, two beds on each side, a small table and a chair. The table was heavy under a huge amount of books, used to replace (although not well) their father's stories. Some were diaries bought from travelers from faraway lands, others were snatched under someone's uncaring gaze. Lyan placed Rayne on her bed and went to her own. It had been indeed a long day, but then again, most of them were. She couldn't wait till her sister came of age to train. Their mother had agreed to let them go to train as Paladins of the Holy Light, but only after Rayne came of age. It had still been a really big concession from their mother's side, one both hadn't expected, but one that still annoyed them a bit. They still went and pestered passing paladins to teach them a thing or two, but that wasn't nearly enough for the two young sisters. There was even a paladin that suggested they can train under him, but their mother sternly declined, saying they aren't yet ready. Just as Lyan was slipping into sleep, a thud snapped her back to reality. She turned around and had to conceal a chuckle, as it was just Rayne rolling off the bed as usual. She then sleepily opened her eyes and murmured incoherently, then attempted to climb back on the bed. After the third amusing attempt she finally succeeded and immediately fell asleep again. Lyan chuckled and dozed off as well.

* * *

 **AN: Well... I've finally started a story. Been lurking around here for so long... finally overcame the total fear of failing and decided i want to give it at try. I also can't get the story out of my head, and Rayne won't stop popping under my pencil every time I draw... I have... to... get... it... OUT. So... This is the first story, and the first ANYTHING I have EVER written so... I hope it'll be okay, and not make people want to kill themselves over how bad it is. I also know my style is horrid, been told so multiple times. So, R &R, follow, favourite, it'll probably be the best feeling there is if I get an email about some of these things... c: Hope y'all like it, and feedback is MORE THAN WELCOME. Seriously. I need it, but I'm too ashamed to show the story to anyone I know. So... Help me fan-fictioners! You're my only hope!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Well... I'm on a "roll" :D I'm also sick, so it's either this or playing games. Which I surprisingly don't feel like doing. So, guys... I'm sorry, but we'll have to get through a couple more happy and whatnot chapters (which, although I don't particularly like them, are required for this story.) and then we go to the "wonderful" things I have in plan... Obviously. Have to warn you though, this story WILL deserve its M rating, although NOT because of lemons or something. Also, I have to warn you from now. I am not a fan of romance, and this story will have VERY little in it. The pairs will either START as such, or get together reeeeeeeeeeally slow. And Rayne won't get up paired with anyone. So... Knowing that I have now chased off some readers (damn it, me) let's continue with this ridiculously long AN.**

 **Gotta say, receiving the follow/favourite email has to be one of the best things to happen recently! It's nice to see some people are reading this story... Though some reviews wouldn't hurt :p (where have I fallen...). I have to warn you though. I'll try making the chapters longer (maybe around 2K words for now) but I doubt I'll be able to update fast. So, without any further ado, let's get to the story!**

 **Chapter 2**

Rayne woke up with a start. Or rather, a thud. She had rolled off her bed again. As she groggily tried to stand up, she heard her sister snickering. Glaring at her, she went back to bed, only to be shaken awake by her mother. Rayne opened her mouth to speak, but the two other women interrupted her.

"Happy Birthday!" they chorused, almost too loud for Rayne's still sleeping self. She had absolutely forgot. Lyan then proceeded to splash her in the face with some cold water. Rayne got up, drenched in water but finally fully awakened and threw herself on Lyan, trying to tickle her. The older girl tried to get her sister off her, which was night impossible. In the past years, Rayne had not only grown to be as tall, if not even more, but she was also near immovable, so all Lyan could do for the moment was attempt to save herself from the merciless tickling.

"You know, usually the big sister terrorizes the little one in this way," Anna chuckled, "though it certainly is amusing to see it the other way around."

Finally, Lyan managed to push her sister off, but Rayne dragged her down with herself, both falling to the floor. They then proceeded to start laughing till their stomachs hurt, Anna smiling beside them. It made her so happy to see them like this. She regretted trying to make them like everyone else, trying to make them "normal" in the eyes of others. For her, the thing that made her happiest was seeing them laugh and smile.

It was Rayne's seventeenth birthday. Her mother planned a special surprise, but it had to be kept a secret. Even Lyan didn't know, seeing as the surprise would be for her too. Anna smiled, even the thought of how her daughters would react was making her so happy. She looked at them, and saw them both laying on the ground, breathing hard and letting out an occasional giggle. Even though Rayne had caught up in height, she and Lyan were still so different. Lyan remained the slender beauty, having many people stare after her, though she retained every bit of the wildness she and her sister shared. Her hair had brightened up, becoming almost blonde, but her eyes remained the same. Green and full of life. Her sister on the other hand, grew to be a splitting image of their father. Tall and stout, with almost black hair and wild gray eyes. The cut she acquired three years ago really did scar, much to Anna's displeasure. She scolded her daughter for not showing the nick to her, but all she ever got was a shrug and a smile. Though, as different as they looked, the two sisters still were as thick as thieves. They would still get in trouble together, sometimes without Anna ever learning about their "adventures", as they liked to call them. They had grown up to be iron willed and strong, and both of them couldn't wait till they started their real training. Still, even without proper training, they had developed some of their gifts. Both, like their mother, shared a strong connection to the Light, but Lyan could call upon it at any time, to heal and protect. Rayne couldn't heal or protect as well, but she could strengthen herself with the holy light, becoming a formidable warrior even with no training.

Both still pestered the adventurers, but this time not only for training, but for a friendly spar. The passing heroes agreed, and even though they held back much, it made them smile to see two people as devoted as the sisters. Their mother abandoned all "hope" for them to be ordinary, and just settled for supporting them and watching them grow into what they desired. Her thoughts were interrupted by Lyan, who was poking her.

"Mom, where's the cake? Shouldn't there be cake?" the sister impatiently asked. Both of them loved her cooking, and cake was a special treat. Anna smiled for the upteenth time today. It was nice seeing that they both had something childish left in them. Rayne raised her head and looked at her too, eyes like a puppy's.

"Of course there is cake, how could you even think I would miss it!" Anna laughed. "Come, it's downstairs in the kitchen with the presents and a special guest."

Rayne ran down the stairs, almost tripping a couple of times, and then zoomed to the kitchen. However, she abruptly stopped at the door, panting and with her jaw open. Lyan followed close behind and mirrored the reaction.

In the room there was a two floored cake, some presents in brown wrappings, two swords and a paladin standing next to it all. He was the paladin that they met when they were younger, the one that offered to train them, though now he was clad in spectacular armor, with Light shining from his pauldrons and a war hammer by his side. He was smiling warmly and it was as if his entire being emanated the Light, soothing and healing.

"Greetings, young paladins."

Both of them couldn't believe their eyes. Anna came in last and offered seats to everyone, now having donned a permanent happy smile. Rayne was just staring, thoughts going wild in her head. What if this was all a cruel joke? After all, she was only seventeen, and her mother had been strict with her words. But what if this was all real? The only sound she managed to produce was a weak "What?", before she just sat on the chair and continued staring. She tried to chase away all false hope, because no, there was no way this was going to happen. She felt her sister sit next to her, the same thoughts probably going through her head as well. They were awakened from their stupor by a voice, a smile evident in it.

"Come now, it's rude to stare." he said, voice warm. But they couldn't stop. This was the thing that they had both dreamed about for years, and now it was in front of their own eyes. It was a dream come true.

Rayne was the first one to speak.

"You... Are serious about this. It's not a joke?"she muttered in a hopeful voice. How she feared the answer, and yet wanted to hear it as soon as possible.

"The only joke here is you two's expressions," Anna laughed.

"But... Didn't you say I have to be older?"

"Yes, I did. But as I saw more and more of you two's devotion, I just couldn't bring myself to keep you two here. I've arranged with Sir Stanton here to train you both in the ways of the Paladins."

The man bowed.

"Sir Stanton Rutherford, at your service." he presented himself.

Rayne finally snapped out of it. She nudged Lyan and both kneeled in front of the holy warrior.

"It would be an honour to serve under you, Sir Stanton"

"You are not going to be serving under me, I am merely taking you two as pupils. Are you comfortable with leaving tomorrow morning? We will be headed to the Capitol, though on our way we shall visit Light's Hope chapel."

Rayne sent a look at her mother and received and encouraging nod.

"Of course sir, are we free to go and start preparing?" she asked, barely maintaining a squeal-free voice.

"Yes you are. I and your mother shall stay here to finish up some details."

Rayne all but hopped to her room, mind already swirling with possibilities and scenarios. She would get to train, to become a real paladin! She would slay monsters, battle villains and be praised as a hero together with her sister! She doubted she could ever thank her mother enough for this gift. She looked back and saw Lyan right on her heels, eyes sparkling with excitement. When they got to their shared room though, first thing they did was flop on their beds and start laughing in glee. Then they just jumped from the beds, hugged each other and started spinning through the room until their heads felt dizzy. Then both of them just collapsed and kept on grinning, with the occasional burst of laughter.

Downstairs both adults could hear the sounds of happiness, and both were gently smiling.

"Sounds like it was a long awaited moment."

"Oh yes, it was. Rayne would beg me before her birthday to let her and Lyan train. She hasn't done it the last two years though... So this might have turned out even better than what I originally had in mind."

The paladin was looking at the stairs.

"They sure sound happy. But what of you?" he turned to her.

"What of me?"

"You are letting your two daughters in the big world full of danger, something you have tried to prevent for so long. How do you feel?"

"I... Feel scared, to be honest. But unbelievably happy about them. Just promise me one thing." Anna's visage cracked. A sad mother was what Rutherford saw in front of him, a sad but strong mother, willing to do anything for her children.

"Yes?" he expected the request.

"Keep them safe. Do anything to keep them safe. I have no power to make you swear on your life but... Please keep them safe at any costs. Don't make me regret this."

"I will, Anna." Rutherford said with a hand on his heart."And I swear on my life."

Her only response was a nod. Tears were welling up in her eyes, but she would not let it show. Not in front of Rayne and Lyan. She didn't want to worry them or dim their happiness. Anna half-wished it would be over sooner. She never liked long goodbyes.

The evening came and dinner was served. Everyone, including sir Stanton were gathered around the small kitchen table. The holy knight was subjected to a barrage of questions, not all of which he could answer. Rayne glanced to her mother and suddenly felt sad. She realized they would be leaving her, the only family she had left would leave her. Anna wore a mask of happiness, but Rayne saw that it was cracked. She could sense the sadness radiating from her only parent, but she knew not what to do. Dinner was finished up fast, maybe too fast for her liking. As much as she couldn't wait for tomorrow, she felt bad. A part of her didn't want to leave now, a part of her wanted to stay, to have more time to prepare herself for leaving, but it was all set. Tomorrow at sunrise they would go. They had both already packed their belongings, and it would do no good to make their new teacher wait. She felt a stinging in her eyes. Her sister kept up the barrage of questions. Rayne leaned back and closed her eyes. Once on the way, there would be no return. The Capitol was far away and they would be able to visit only rarely. She glanced at her mother again. She wished to just talk, but didn't know what to say. Finally, she excused herself, explaining she was tired. As she was going up the stairs, she could feel the questioning eyes on her back, but she paid them no heed. She lit a candle and laid on her bed, starting to doze off. She heard her sister come in and try to ask what was bothering her, but ignored it and pretended to be asleep. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was the loving kiss of her mother on her forehead and a barely heard whisper:

"Be safe, for I love you more than anything."

 **AN: By the way, random fact. Lyan's name is pronounced very closely to "lion", not "lían". Sooo, I hope you all liked it. There will probably be an update soon enough, but till then R &R (I'd really appreciate the reviews, feedback and such, you know it) and till next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Rayne looked back at her disappearing home. She saw that Anna was still in front of the house, waving at the moving wagon.

The parting hadn't been a long one. No one liked tearful and drawn out goodbyes. They promised that they would visit when they could, to which she only smiled sadly and hugged both of them.

Lyan was on her shoulder, trying to hold back tears, but the younger girl felt a wet spot on her shoulder. She herself had tried to stay strong, but there were still a few dried tears on her cheeks.

Andorhal's silhouette was slowly fading in the distance. Rayne looked forward. It was a long road to the Capitol, a week if the weather was good and there were no incidents. They would go with a trading wagon all the way. It was much cheaper this way, although much longer.

Rutherford had fallen asleep after a bit. Rayne looked at the paladin in front of her and smiled. Even though they were leaving so much behind, they were going to a land of opportunities. They would be heroes, and they would bring pride to their lone mother. She promised herself that whatever happened, she would be back someday, to show Anna the world like they would see it.

Lyan's head fell in her lap. The older sister had fallen asleep as well. Rayne wished she could too, but her head was swirling with thoughts. She carefully laid Lyan's head on a pile of clothes and went to rummage through the luggage. They didn't take much. Some clothes, a few personal belongings and the two swords they received at her birthday. Paladin initiates usually started their training with maces or warhammers, but the two sisters had swords. Both were brought by Sir Stanton. He said they belonged to a friend of his, who didn't need them anymore, though he didn't specify as to why. They were medium, sometimes even used as one-handed weapons, old but not rusty. Both had seen a lot of use and, she smiled at the thought, would see at least as much more.

The wagon was driven by a man in his forties, with streaked hair and a shaggy beard. He had a young boy with him, his "apprentice" as he jokingly said. The boy had dirty blond hair and watery blue eyes. He was medium in height, and as skinny as a skeleton, even though he ate more than enough. He was the driver's nephew. The boy, Pete, used to be a farm boy until his uncle came and offered to take him around the world. His promise was still unkept, but Pete didn't complain. For him, everything was better than being holed up in his little house.

The man's name was John. He was a jolly man who, though easily angered, could never stay in a sour mood for long. He was a longtime friend with the paladin, even though they didn't see each other that often.

Anna and Sir Stanton had arranged for the sisters to travel with the trading wagon a week ago. John had happily accepted. He welcomed any company with a wide smile and a huge array of jokes. Pete was another thing entirely. Shy and withdrawn, he strayed from other people. He had lived a heavy life at the farm, and even though everything was better now, he still remained shy and mindful of other people. He was a person of action and not words.

Rayne walked to the front of the cart, hoping to strike a conversation. However, she saw John had dozed off and Pete was driving in his stead. She thought him strange. Every time she talked to him, he would answer with a single word and then continue staring off in the distance, completely ignoring anyone but his uncle.

"So, um, hey. How are you?" She started.

"Fine."

She tried again: "When are we going to make camp for the night?"

"Ask uncle when he wakes up." Pete replied, never even looking back at her. The young girl gave up and walked back to their part of the wagon.

"Don't mind him. Poor boy's been through a lot." Rutherford had woken up.

"That doesn't mean he has to be so unfriendly!' Rayne protested, loud enough for the boy in question to turn around. She didn't mean to sound as angry, and she shrank back.

"Don't be so rude, sis!" Lyan was now awake too.

The paladin continued "Different people have different ways of dealing with their problems. Some, like this poor boy, decide to close themselves off. Don't attack him, he has had enough of people assaulting him."

Rayne nodded and looked away, ashamed. Muttering an apology, she laid on her back and closed her eyes. She could hear John's mild snoring from the front of the car. Her sister and Rutherford were talking about weather of all things, so she tuned them out. Finally, the swaying of the cart lulled her to sleep.

Rayne groggily woke up. The sky was dark and clouded, and the songs of the crickets could already be heard. The wagon wasn't moving anymore. She stood up, looked around and soon spotted a campfire. The girl lazily dragged herself there, carrying a rug behind her.

"So, sleeping beauty finally woke up?" Lyan joked. All she got in return was an evil eye and a groan. "Are you all right?"

"Do I look alright?" came the moody reply.

"You never do!" laughed Lyan. "Really though, what is it?" She received a groan and a ''wait". After Rayne finally managed to sit down, she wrapped herself in the rug and groaned.

"My back hurts, my head hurts, my arms are stiff and I think I'm dying. This good enough for you?"

"Aww, poor little-" she was interrupted by a growl.

"Just give me something warm to eat!"

"Dinner is still being cooked, so you'll have to wait." came Rutherford's voice. Rayne just eyed the rabbit that was being grilled. She wanted to snatch it up and eat it, cooked or not, but she didn't want to leave an even worse first impression.

John and Pete were sitting on the other side of the fire, silently talking. Rayne tried to eavesdrop, but to no avail, so she just settled for watching the crackling fire. The flames were hypnotizing, but just as she started to doze off, she was shaken awake by Lyan, who was also holding a deliciously smelling rabbit leg in front of her nose.

"Come on, fur-wrap, dinner's ready!"

The hungry girl snatched it up and dug into it, all manners forgotten.

"She seems more of a warrior person if you ask me" John commented, having joined the group together with his silent nephew. Lyan chuckled.

"Believe me, you are far from the first one to be saying that." the girl in question threw them a rabbit-soaked smile and continued eating.

"I can see why!" he laughed as well.

After the meal was finished, everyone dragged various blankets and furs out of the cart to set up their "beds". They arranged them under a thick old tree, to guard them from the rain that had started sprinkling. The clouds were filled with the promise of a heavy rain. Rutherford volunteered to stand guard, followed by John and his boy. Lyan protested, but went unheard.

Rayne had fallen asleep at the end of dinner. Lyan dragged her sister over to the great tree, laid her down and wrapped her in another blanket, trying to make sure she was warm enough. She then grabbed the remaining rugs, cocooned herself as best as she could and dozed off as well.

 **AN: Heya guys! Sorry for this being as short as it is, but writing from phone and short patience aren't a nice combination. Also sorry for the wait (not that many waited but yeah x) ), I was thinking if I should scrap the story and start anew, or dump it altogether, but I decided I'll stick with this.**

 **Thank you to everyone who is reading this! You are awesome :D so um, review, anyone? Could definitely use it x) I need feedback on this, is it killingly bad or just bad... Also, plot-wise, we have about two more chapters till things get how I like them. x)**

 **Aaanyway, R &R, love you people, bye for now :D**


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